The Truth In A Book
by midnights in rio
Summary: Ashley reads a book. Shepard is distracting. Femshepley


There was a light on in her cabin.

She'd been in the showers, scrubbing the day from her. Her hardsuit always protected her, but she always felt dirty after a mission. Just because you couldn't feel it didn't mean it wasn't there. And the bruises were real, from when her shields had failed.

But there was someone in her cabin.

Precisely, someone in her bed. Commander Shepard, commanding officer of the SSV _Normandy_ glanced at the intruder, her hands going to unbutton her uniform jacket. Then she stopped.

Chief Ashley Williams was curled up in her bed-she'd taken to sneaking up when the Charlie Shift was on, when almost everyone was asleep-her hair out of her bun and tumbling over her face. Shepard liked to run her hands through it, see the woman behind the hard ass Marine NCO. But right now she had some strange…thing in her hands.

"What are you doing?" Shepard demanded, her voice overly loud in the quiet room.

Ashley didn't look up and there was a scrape-that was real paper? Bound together? There had to be several hundred sheets there-of paper on paper as she turned one page over, "It's nice to see you too, Shepard."

"Smartass," Shepard mumbled, "What is that?"

"It's a book, Shepard. My god, people these days."

"What's wrong with your omnitool or a datapad?"

"It's not the _same_," Ash said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "There's something about a real book, you know? The weight of it in your hands, the feel of the paper." Her voice rose with enthusiasm.

Shepard valiantly resisted the urge to make a dirty joke.

"Right." Shepard had never really had that much time for literature-she preferred punching people. Or shooting them. But she had to admit, she could listen to Ash recite poetry all day.

She slipped into the bed beside her, sliding an arm around the Chief's shoulders, "Good book?"

"Yes," Ash said almost curtly, catching her bottom lip between her teeth. Shepard watched the movement.

She trailed a hand up her side, to brush across her smooth cheek, "Ashley," She said softly, her voice going deeper. They hadn't had sex in _forever_ and okay, hunting down a crazy Spectre, fighting geth and all that, but still.

"What?"

Was she really oblivious? Ash usually caught on pretty quick-she'd caught on when Shepard had first started flirting with her, enough to recite regulations back to her. Obviously, more direct action was required.

She pressed her lips softly to the Marine's neck, to the soft skin there.

"Shepard, I'm busy," Ash drew the words out, glancing at her with a frown on her face.

Shepard stared at her incredulously, "But-"

"It's getting to the good parts," Ashley replied, and turned her eyes back to the novel.

"What are you even reading?"

"Today, I exist," Said Ashley, in that almost reverential way she had when she recited poetry, "When we were younger, whole days and nights would claw me under before I'd wink back into the world. But now that Joseph's come to this cold land on the edge of nowhere where the sun barely sets in summer, I'm with him every day. Joseph and his long shadow and me, inseparable.

I'm never sure exactly how I feel about that. It's complicated." She paused, glanced at Shepard, "_The War of the End of the World."_

Shepard blinked, "Okay."

Ashley shrugged and went back to her reading.

"Ash_ley_," Shepard almost pouted, "Is that book really more interesting than me?"

Ash sighed grumpily, "I haven't had a chance to read in a week, Shepard."

Shepard gave her a sad expression, snuggling up to her, rubbing circles on the other woman's ribcage with her fingertips, before kissing a line up her neck to her jaw. Ashley sighed at last, and got her bookmark from the table, closed the book and very carefully set it aside.

"Oh fine."

Shepard thanked whatever deities might exist, before Ashley was cupping her jaw, her fingertips calloused against the sensitive skin there, "You're impossible," Ash muttered.

"I'm awesome," Shepard replied loftily, before Ashley shut her up with a kiss.


End file.
